the polar vortex is a strange and poorly understood thing by non-meteorologists (like myself). what is clear is that is that everyday in NYC feels like an icy assault, resulting in very dry skin. the polar vortex is bad for face and bad for hands.

rewind a few months: i attended the launch event for la prairie's cellular swiss ice crystal cream and dry oil. surrounding the presentation were floor to ceiling pictures of the simultaneously beautiful and horrifying snowy mountain-scape of the swiss alps. the new products active ingredients are extracted from the few precious plants that not only survive, but manage to flourish, in this harsh environment. purple saxifrage, soldanella alpina, and swiss snow algae produce beautiful pink and purple flowers among ice crystals. little did i know how much this setting would come to seem like my reality.

at the end of each day i now encase my face in cellularswiss ice crystal cream. it serves my a reset button. i wake with hydrated, plumped, pillow-y skin. does my face get battered and assaulted by the cold again the next day? yes, but at least i know how to fix that.